Various types of protective covers have been devised for sports equipment. For example, C. Miller U.S. Pat. No. 4,012,050 discloses a rubber boot for skis having an elastic cover which can be stretched over a limited portion of the ski together with Velcro straps and relatively thick flanges which fit along the edges of the ski. F. J. Perlich et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,912 discloses an elastic cover with reinforced end portions that are recessed to receive the toe and heel portions of a ski and provided with special grooves therein. In J. D. Geronimo U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,952, a surfboard cover is more of a pocket-shaped arrangement which is open in the center and surrounds the edges of the surfboard. M. A. Beran U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,380 discloses more of a luggage-like foldable cover for surfboards, skis and the like.
Snowboarding has become increasingly popular as a winter sport, and snowboards present very much the same problems as skis in terms of protecting the running surfaces and edges when not in use and when being transported or shipped from place to place. For example, in placing on a ski rack or luggage carrier of a car the toe and heel portions of the snowboard are particularly susceptible to damage resulting from jarring or impact with other objects. Similarly, it is important that the undersurface and side edges be protected but at the same time to provide a covering which can be easily assembled and removed with respect to the snowboard and be easy to grip and carry when placed on the snowboard. Furthermore, when the protective cover is not in use, it can be folded or rolled into an extremely compact package which can be carried on one's person while snowboarding. Further in this connection, it is highly desirable that the protective cover be so constructed and arranged as to be capable of being secured in snug, form-fitting relation to the snowboard and yet leave the upper surface of the snowboard exposed so that, for example, the snowboard can be utilized in performing aerial exercises on a trampoline without damaging the surface of the trampoline.